Solar Impulse 2 takes off for its coast-to-coast journey across the United States

The solar-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 carried out the tenth flight of its around-the-world tour with no fuel. Despite it having stopped for a few months after its batteries were damaged, it arrived in the United States and started its journey across the country. It took off from San Francisco on the 2nd of March, piloted by André Borschberg, and landed in Phoenix. The flight lasted 15 hours and 52 minutes and covered 1,113 kilometres.

Bertrand Piccard's selfie in flight. Via Si2/Flickr.

The flight from Hawaii to San Francisco

The previous flight had been across the Pacific Ocean and, as far as solar-powered planes are concerned, it broke several records, including distance, speed, duration and altitude. Thanks to pilot André Borschberg, Solar Impulse 2 set a world record, conducting a flight of 5 days and 5 nights.
“Solar Impulse showcases that today exploration is no longer about conquering new territories, because even the moon has already been conquered, but about exploring new ways to have a better quality of life on earth,” said Piccard, Initiator and Chairman of the project. “It is more than an airplane: it is a concentration of clean technologies, a genuine flying laboratory, and illustrates that solutions exist today to meet the major challenges facing our society.” This is a message of hope and pragmatism, which was also reported in occasion of the Paris Agreement signing ceremony on 22 April in New York City.

Solar Impulse 2 and sustainable mobility

While electric vehicles are on the rise thanks to car manufacturers’ new offers, Piccard and Borschberg demonstrate that zero emissions, electric mobility is real and functioning, so much so that they travelled around the world.
“Solar Impulse is a demonstration of energy efficiency and smart energy management, similar to a flying grid. Just imagine your energy reserves increasing during flight and available day after day,” added André Borschberg, CEO and co-founder. “This is what we may be doing in our communities, our cities and our countries. To have a decentralized renewable energy production, using solar, thermal, wind”.